Machine for stemming cured tobacco-leaves.



0. F. PEPER. MACHINE FOR STEMMING CURE D TOBACCO LEAVES, APPLICATION FILED JULY 14. 1916- I 1,235,722. PatentedAug. 7,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C, F. PEPER. MACHINE FOR STEMMING CURED TOBACCO LEAVES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 14-. 1916.

.1 ,235 ,722. Patented Aug. 7,, 19l7.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

avwentoz 630 mm I 4 carrier to MACHINE FOR STEMMING CURED TOBACCO-LEAVES.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE F. PEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Stemming Cured Tobacco-Leaves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

part of a vegetable substance from another part thereof. The device is designed more particularly for removing stems from tobacco leaves, although it is obvious that the invention is applicable to other uses.

In the commercial treatment of tobacco it is desirous, under some conditions, to remove the stem from the body of the leaf after the tobacco shall have been cured. To do this by manual labor is slow, tedious work.

A purpose of this invention is to mechanically remove the stems from the tobacco leaves. by mechanism which will require -merely the attendance of unskilled labor, and thereby effect a saving in time and operating expenses.

Further objects andv advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims' Broadly stated, the invention comprises an endless carrier associated with a table and compressed air mechanism, whereby the leaves may be fed from thetable to suitable gripping devices mounted :on the endless be presented before a blast nozzle which is automatically opened by means on each successive gripping device and directs airf'under pressure against the leaf or by the gripping devices. :T-he

and carried by the air blast againsta screen and therefrom drop into asuitable'receptacle, while: the heavier and more fibrous portions,

devices are engaged y releasing trips, whereupon the gripping devices perm t the heavier fi ro s p 5 ?9m @1011 the t This invention is a 'machine for sepa-- rating substances, such as separating one such as the stems, are retained firmly by the grippingO devices until such to fall from: the carrier. The leaves are merely placed in a predetermined position D s'rnrns PATENTOFFICE- g p Patented AugQ'7, 1917; Application filed July 14, 1916. Serial No. 109,29s.- I

on the table by unskilled labor; thereafter 7 the leaves are seized or gripped automatically by the gripping devices.

The gripping devices, are of novel form comprising spring actuated jaws which are normally retained in their closed positions, but which are opened automatically by contact with trip devices at predetermined points on the passage of the gripping device across the table. r

To enable others to more clearly understand the invention, apracticalform of the device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be; understood that the construction therein shown is for the purposes of'illustration only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

In the drawings:

- Fig. iis a detail view, in plan, of the fluid blast nozzle.

2 Figure 1 1s a slde elevatlon of a device Fig. 5 is a detail front view of the cam trip and guide block. 1

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the structure of Fig. 5. 7 i

Fig. 7 is'a detail view of the lower member of thegripping aw.

Fig. 8 is a detail viewlof the upper gripping jaw member. f v r Fig. 9 is, a d tail front view of the lower trip.

Referrlng more particularly to the embodiment' of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the table 1 may be of anydesired form. or ,material, and is preferably-pro- 'Fig. 10 is an end view of the lower trip.

vided witha tro'ughindicated at 2 to insure a the feedingqof the substance torbe treated,

such as leaves, at-the proper position to .be

engaged by the gripping devices Suitablymounted on'the table 1 is. an endless carrier 3, whichmay be of any desired form ,or materiaLYsuch as a chain, and is shown passing over a plurality of pulleys 4, 5, the pulley 4 being shown mounted on a shaft 6 having the usual power wheel or drum/7. If desired,the endless carriermay .be. provided withguide plates 8, mounted :firbm the tablel "by brecketarms 9 to s pport the carrier and prevent it from sagging due to its own weight and the weight of the load it carries. 7

Positioned adjacent the upper lead of the endless carrier is shown, a guide block 10 of any suitable form whichmay be mounted in any preferred manner from the table /1. This block 10 is designed to guide the carrier so that its gripping devices indicated at 11 may be brought into contact with an adjacent trip member 12, sln' wn'in the form of a cam, which is designed to engage a grip device 11 and open its jaws previously to the device 11 reaching the trough 2 a'ndto permit the aws of the device llto close into gripping engagement with material fed into the trough 2 for the purpose of conveyingsuch material away from the table. The cam trip device 12 may be of any desired form and mounted in any suitable manner adjacent the table 1 and guide block 10, such as by means of the'bracket arm 13.

The grip device is shown as comprising a plurality of members 14, 15 pivotally' connected," as at 16. The member 14 isprovide'd with a jaw 17 adapted to'cooperate with a similar'jaw 18 of the member 15. One member 14 is shown provided with a plurality of flanges 19 which provide a'channel 20' between them, and into this channel operates a rib 21, which is shown rounded on its face-, carried by member 15. The pivotal connection'16 may be in the form of a pin which passes through the flanges l9 and rib 21 to permit the members to have rocking engagement relative to one another. Any suitable means, such as the resilient element 22 may be employed to maintain the jaws 17, 18 in their closed positions. The jaws preferably have broad engaging ends to enable them to seize a plurality ofleaves or stems at each gripping operation. If desired, one member, such as 15, may be provided with a guide notch23 to be engaged by the cam trip 12' to insure movement of jaw 18 relative to jaw 17.

The gripping device 11 is shown mounted diagonally across the endless'carrier 3 with its jaws 17, 18 positioned in the direction of travel, or in advance of the rear portion of the device 11. Owing to this angularity of'the mounting of the device, it may be found desirable to employ an additional guide block 10*, shown in substantially vertical alin'ement with" the table trough 2. The guide block 10 engages the under face of'th'e grip member- 14 nearits end24 at substantially the same time that guide block 10*" is engaging the under surface of the samemember 14 near the'jaw 17 This provides aplurality of supports for the grip de'v'i'cell when the cam12'eng'ages theouter end of member '15 at the guide notch 23. Guide block's-10 and 10 and"ca;m-12,being stem to'fall into a suitable receptacle rigidly mounted on thetable, the grip device will be deflected on the endless carrier until cam 12 engages the notch 23, when the grip device 11 will'be prevented from further deflected movement on the endless carrier, thereby permitting cam 12 to ride over the end of the grip device at 23. This action serves to move member 15 on its pivot 16"to'separate"jaw 18 from jaw 17 at the moment the jaws 17, 18 are riding over a portion of guide block 10 ready to seize mate-rial fedinto trough 2 when the end 23 shall have passed the cam 12. The resilient element 22 is preferably positioned between the e'1'1ds'23 and 24 of the members 14 and 15, thereby leaving that portion of the grip device between the pivot 16 an'd'jaws 17,

18 unobstructed, to permit of the passage therebetwe'en of a'jaw separating cam 30.

Near one end 'of'the table lthere is shown suitable means to separate the stem from the body of the leaf. The separating means may be in the" form of a compressed air tank 24 supplied with air under pressure from a suitabl'esou'rce, and having a directing nozzle 25 of any suitable form controlled by a valve'26. The valve is preferably spring actuated to maintain the valve in its closed position, but is shown provided with an actuating arm 27 adapted to be engaged by a wiper arm 28 mounted on a grip device 11, so that the air valve 26 will be opened to permit air under pressure to escape as the carrier 3 brings the grip device 11 with its load opposite to the nozzle 25. The pressureof air will'tear away the body of the leaf from the stem, leaving the stem with the grip device and conducting the remaining portion' of the leaf to a suit able receptacle, not shown. If desired, a screen 29 may be employed to prevent the escape of the separated leaf portions.

In order that th'e'grip"devices11 may be ready to seize another load from the trough 2,- it is desired to automatically free them of the stems which they hold after passing before the-nozzle 25.' This is accomplished by providing a suitable trip 30, shown mounted on the table '1 adjacent the lower lead of the carrier 3. This trip 30 may be of any desired form and material, but is shown oval and is so positioned that it'will separate th'e'jaws '17, 18 to permit the leaf not shown) when thetrip 30 passes through the spaceformed between the jaws 17 and 18' and in advance of the pivot 16.

If desired, the' stem in'the grip device may be turned'to a predetermined position by contacting the stem against a leg m of the table 1, whereby-the stems may be deposited in an orderly manner in substantially the same direction in any suitable container, not'shown.

It isobviou's'that various changes in the form and proportions of parts may be made -without departing from the spirit of the gripping device to move the valve arm on its plvot to open the valve when the gripping device is adjacent the nozzle. I

2. In a device of the class described, a table, an endless carrier cooperating therewith, gripping devices mounted on the carrier and each provided with a wiper arm, a

fluid nozzle having a valve provided with an actuating arm, and resilient means to retain the actuating arm in a predetermined position to close the valve, said actuating arm being positioned in the path of the wiper arms of the gripping devices whereby the valve of the fluid nozzle may be opened during the passage of the gripping devices adjacent thereto.

3. In a device of the class described, a table having a trip device includinga guide block and a cam block positioned adjacent to and cooperating with the guide block,

and an endless carrier having gripping devices each provided with a plurality of pivotally connected j aws, means to maintain the jaws ina closed position, one of said jaws being arranged to ride in the guide block to be held in a non-pivoting position while the other jaw is being engaged bythe cam block to separate the aws. s

4. In a device of the class described, a

table, an endless carrier, a gripping device mounted on the carrier, said device having a plurality of pivotally connected members having cooperating jaws, resilient means to mamtam the JELWS n their closed position,

one of said pivoted members having a guide v notch near its end opposite its jaw, a guide block carried by the table to-support the gripping device when passing over the block,'and a cam trip mounted substantially opposite to the guide block to engage the guide notch and ride over its member to move the notched end of one pivoted member toward the corresponding end of the other pivoted member when engaged by the guide block, and thereby separate the jaws against the energy of the, resilient means.

5. In a device of the class described, a

table, an endless carrier, a gripping device mounted on the carrier, said device having a plurality of pivotally connected 'members having cooperating jaws, resilient means to maintain the jaws in their closed position, one of said pivoted members having a guide notch near its end opposite its jaw, a plural ity of guide blocks arranged in spaced rela-n tion from the table to permit a lead of the endless carrier to move between them, said guide blocks serving to simultaneously support one member of a gripping deviceat a plurality of points when passing over said blocks, and a ,trip'mounted in cooperative relation to the guide blocks to engage the guide notch of the other pivoted member and ride over this member while the grip ping device is between said trip and the guide blocks, to separate the jaws of the gripping device. Y

6. In a device of the class described, a table, an endless carrier mounted adjacent thereto, means to convey material in a predetermined position on the carrier, means to remove a portion of such material from the conveyer means, a leg of the table being p0- sitioned in cooperative relation to the endless carrier, whereby when the leg of the table engages the remaining portion of the conveyed material, it will serve to move the material so conveyed to a predetermined position and means to discharge vthe material from the conveying means at a predetermined point, whereby the material may be deposited in an orderly manner.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of a witness. V CLARENCE F., PEPER.

Witness: 7

A. L. Home.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of' Patents,

Washington, D. 0. v 

